Rail-clamp.



UNITED STATES PATENT OEErcE.

HARNETT J. FULLER, OF WVINCHESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

RAIL-CLAM P.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 683,644, dated October 1, 1901.

Application filed November 17, 1900. Serial No. 36,858. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HARNETT J. FULLER, of Winchester, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new anduseful ImprovementsinRail-Olamps, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has relation to means for affixing or clamping railway-rails to the ties or sleepers on which they rest, the object of the invention being to obviate the necessity of withdrawing or loosening that portion of the clamp which enters the tie or sleeper when it is desired to remove the rail.

The particular improvements in which the invention consists will be understood from the succeeding description and claims in con nection with the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings, Figure 1 represents a sectional view of a rail, a portion of a tie, and my improved clamp. Fig. 2 represents a detail perspective view of the nut.

The same reference characters indicate the same partsin both figures.

Referring to the drawings, 1 represents an ordinary wooden tie or sleeper, and 2 represents a rail of the usual form resting thereon and having the ordinary base-flange 3, provided with a sloping upper surface 4.

5 is a bolt or spike having a shank 6, embedded in the sleeper 1 and, as shown in the drawings, provided with a wood-screw thread. This shank, however, may be smooth after the manner of an ordinary spike.- When it is threaded, the upper end of the spike is squared, as at 9, or may be otherwise formed to retain a wrench or equivalent tool, whereby the spike may be rotated to screw it into or out of the sleeper. It is designed that the spike 6 shall remain permanently in place on the sleeper in order to avoid the damaging of the tie, due to frequent withdrawals of the spike and respiking when the rails are removed and replaced. The upper portion 7 of the spike is left projecting above the sleeper 1, substantially at right angles to the latter, forming a stem, which is provided with a v screw-thread 8 below the squared portion 9.

10 is a cap-nut-that is,a nut having a closed aperture llFthreaded and screwing on the threaded part 8 of the spike. The said nut has a squared upper portion to retain a wrench and a projecting horizontal flange 12, adapted to engage the upper side of the base-flange 8 on the rail, and thereby clamp said rail to the tie when screwed down against the flange. Ample an'd properly-distributed bearing is provided by providing the lower face of the nut with a slightly-conical surface 13, complemental to the sloping upper face 4 of the base-flange 3.

The provision of a capenut instead of a collar-nut has these advantages-namely, that the nut covers the upper end of the spike and prevents injury to the same and also prevents corrosion and the accumulation of dirt in the thread. Moisture and dirt are also prevented from reaching the threads from underneath the nut byinclosing the thread 8 on the spike completely Within the aperture of the nut when said nut is clamped upon the rail, the thread 8 for this purpose having a lower terminationabove the surface of the sleeper l, and the aperture 11 being longer than the distance from this lower termination to the upper end of the spike. In the case of a smooth-shanked spike the wrench-retaining upper end 9 would be dispensed with; but said spike would still have a reduced unthreaded portion above the thread 8, adapted to be struck in driving the spike into the sleeper. When the rail 2 is removed, it is .obviously only necessary to unscrew the nut 10 from the spike 5, this being a quick and easilyperformed operation,which involves a considerable saving of time and labor in the replacement of rails. v

l. A clamp for rails consisting of a shank adapted to be embedded in a sleeper, said shank having a n1etalscrew-thread,and a nonthreaded reduced portion at the end beyond the metal screw-thread by means of which the shank may be driven into a sleeper,anda capnut screwed on the metal screw-thread to completely inolose said thread and said nonthreaded reduced portion, and having at its lower or'inner end a flange to take over the base-flange of a rail.

2. A clamp for rails, consisting of a shank adapted to be embedded in a sleeper, said shank having a metal screw-thread,and a non threaded reduced portion at the end beyond.

the threaded portion whereby the shank-may be driven into a sleeper,and a cap-nut screwed inolose the reduced portion and the metal screw-threaded portion of the shank, said nut having at its end a flange to take over the base-flange of a rail.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature in presence of two'witnesses.

IIARNETT J. FULLER.

Witnesses:

M. B. MAY, 0. C. STECHER. 

